The Choice, a naruto fanfic

A/N: This is my third story and I'm as rusty as ever. Please forgive any typographical or grammatical errors. If anyone's interested to Beta this story, just send me a message! :)

Bold Numbers - Scene Change

Italicized - *whole scene, Flashback

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the characters.

"Let's break up," she said

"Hn."

"No 'why', 'okay', 'what'? Just 'hn'?"

"It's your choice. You were the one who wanted to started this relationship anyway."

A moment of silence passed between the two. She thought to herself bitterly and laugh at the anti-climatic ending of their almost two year relationship.

"Ok. Let's break up," she finally said. She stood up for sitting on the bench and started to walk away.

"What the hell happened?" His loud mouth blonde best friend, Naruto, barged into his house. "Why do I have to hear from the nurse at the hospital that Sakura-chan and you broke up?"

"Hn."

"Teme! You two were happy. Hell! Being with her made you seem alive. Why did you break up with her?"

"..."

"Sasuke." He realized that his friend would never call him by his name unless he was serious. "What did you do to Sakura?"

"I didn't do anything," he answered back. "She was the one who broke things off."

"It doesn't matter right now who ended the relationship. I'm asking you. 'What did you do?',"

He didn't know how he would answer his question. He honestly didn't know what happened. He agreed with him. They were happy then the next moment she was ask-telling him to break up their relationship. "She broke up with me. She ended it," he said more to himself than to his companion.

Naruto stopped and stared at his friend. Where was the arrogant and self-centered person you knew? He was gone and was replaced by this broken and wounded man. "But you agreed. You let it happen."

Sasuke closed his eyes and his head hung low.

"You have to tell him." As much as she respected their friendship, Ino's insisted demands were starting to get on her nerves.

Strike one. "No."

"Sakura, you have to tell him."

Strike two. "No."

"Why the fuck not?" Strike three and you're out.

"Why do I have to tell him? As far as I'm concerned, my business is no longer his concern." She inhaled and sighed. "Besides, he wouldn't care," she added as an afterthought.

She sat on a bench in the park and listened to the chirps of the nearby birds.

In truth, she just wanted to lay down on her bed and sleep through the massive headache she was experiencing but she can't let Sasuke know that she was feeling a little sick.

They were going to meet in a few minutes. She decided to catch some needed rest before he arrived. She closed her eyes and tried to take in the serenity of the park.

Footsteps could be heard approaching her.

"Hn."

She heard his usual response and fought back the tears that wanted to fall. The pain was starting to become unbearable.

"Hey Sasuke-kun". She offered a smile to him and looked him straight in his eyes. "I love you. You know that, right?"

"Hn."

She stared out at the cherry blossoms that her friend left for her.

She was the only one she told about her condition, aside from her mentor, Tsunade.

Ino urged her multiple times to tell Sasuke. She just didn't want to.

She was tired-tired of the pain, tired of feeling inadequate, tired of it all.

But she didn't want anyone to know. Tomorrow, she'll smile at everyone and forget the internal struggles she was feeling.

"You summoned me?"

"For once, you're on time," Tsunade said to the perpetually late copy nin.

"Because I had a bad feeling about this summon." She disregarded his response and went straight to business.

"Kakashi listen up. Starting today, I'll be removing Sakura from your team. I need her to be in the hospital full time now. I'll send in another medic nin to replace her.

He stilled for a moment, processing the information passed on to him. "Wait, does she know about this?"

"Of course," she huffed. "She was the one who first requested this."

Cough Blood Cough

He never felt more uneasy in his life.

He never felt more bothered by the silence around him.

All he wanted was to have the pink haired woman back by his side and brightening up his day.

But he'll never admit that to her now.

"I can't keep hiding you. Sooner or later, they'll find out."

"Better later than sooner," she tried to laugh about it. "You'll try your hardest to not let them know, right?" She looked into her mentor's eyes and pleaded with her silently. Sakura needed this. She needed the peace their presence allowed her.

"Of course," Tsunade offered a half-smile to her almost daughter.

"Teme, have you seen Sakura lately?" Naruto asked.

"Hn."

"She wasn't at home or at her office. Hell, she hasn't been hanging out with Ino at the cafe."

"Hn."

"Teme...," he growled, quite upset by his non-response.

"I haven't seen her since...since two months ago."

*poof* "She won't be coming to practice anymore" their sensei answered Naruto in an attempt to stop their current topic.

"What do you mean, Kaka-sensei?"

"She was removed from active duty and was reinstated as a full-time medic in the hospital."

"Hn." There was something fishy going on. He needed to know.

Her chest was hurting. It hurt. It hurt a lot.

"Where was the damn nurse button?" she thought to herself and she tried to reach for the button.

It was getting harder to breathe.

"Hey Sasuke!"

"Hn."

"Why did you agree to go out on a date with me?"

He looked at her straight in the eye.

"Because you wouldn't stop bothering me."

And that was the end of their first date.

The machines were plugged in.

Beep...beep...beep...

She didn't have much energy left.

She cried to herself and prayed to the heavens that he would find happiness.

I love you.

Someone needed to man up and if she didn't want to, she would do it for her.

Ino approached the door of Sasuke's house and knocked. He answered with a stoic face.

"After hearing what I have to say, you will not punch me in the face." She had to get it out there before she says anything.

"Hn."

"Sometimes I believe that that's the only word you know how to say."

"Hn. Why are you here, Ino?

"Oh! He speaks!" She was mocking him. He didn't like it.

"If you're going to say something, say it know or else I'm closing this door now."

"Wait."

"..."

"She loves you and this was the only way she knew how to protect you."

"..."

"She's dying." His eyes opened for a fraction. His feet started running to the hospital before he even knew what he has doing.

"Why didn't you tell him?"

"Do I need a reason?"

"As a matter of fact, you do. You were in a relationship with this man for nearly two years. Surely, he had a right to know who you ran off to while he was off to God knows what mission."

"You make it sound like I'm hiding a lover."

"You're dying because of him. So why won't you tell him?"

"Because I didn't want to face the truth."

"What truth?"

"That he doesn't care about me yet he means the whole world to me."

He was running full speed towards the Hokage's tower.

He needed to know. He needed answers now.

"You're as foolish as my little brother."

"I know."

"You know, I might have lied to you. I might just be taking advantage of your love for him just so you keep coming back here. I might just go running off after today and kill him."

"I know."

"So why are you doing this."

"I'm taking the little chance that you spare his life by doing this. I'm doing this because I want to save the man I love."

" In that moment, it was an easy choice to make-his life or mine. I didn't even need time to think about it. I chose to save his."

"So you gave yourself up as Itachi's poison dummy"

"They knew I had the capability to find a cure for the poisons they would give me. They needed to find the perfect serum-something I couldn't cure."

"But your loyalty to the village-"

"Make no mistake. I am a loyal ninja. Itachi would not launch an attack on Konoha as long as I kept my mouth shut-with the exception of the Hokage."

"So Tsunade knew?"

"She helped me find a cure for the times I was already too weak to move."

"..."

"How long ago was your first, uhm, meeting with Itachi?"

"6 years ago."

"Wait. What? He only came back 3 years ago!" Ino exclaimed.

"I know." Sakura closed her eyes and leaned her head on the soft pillow.

"Where is she?" He was out of breathe. His heart was racing.

"What do-" He cut the Hokage's question

"Don't play dumb with me, Hokage-sama! Where is she?" He was desperate and it was apparent in his voice.

"You can't disturb her. She's resting" She decided not to keep up appearances. This boy needed to know what he was soon going to lose.

"Where is she? I need to know if she'll be alright." He was vulnerable. His defenses were down. "Please."

"Room 664. The floor has restricted access. Tell the nurses that I sent you."

He ran with all the energy he had left.

"Why you?"

"Because I'm a damn good medic, the best after Tsunade."

"..."

"They needed the perfect poison so they needed the outsmart the best mind out there."

"So is this finally the best poison out there?"

"No. I already found the cure, I just didn't use it."

"Sakura, are you insane? Use it know. I bet you that it's not too late!" Ino exclaimed. She badly needed for her to live.

"No."

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"I'm too tired to try fighting it anymore."

"There must be something worth fighting for! Think of Sasuke and his happiness!"

"I am."

He was out of breathe but he finally found her.

"Why?" he threw the question out there, only to reach a sleeping person's ears.

He sat by her side and held her hand.

He took this moment to look at the young woman before him.

But he noticed that she was too thin and her skin was too pale.

He watched as her eyes fluttered open, confused at the new found warmth she felt on her hands.

"Why?" he asked her again

She looked at him with her big dull eyes.

"You are foolish."

"..."

"Why do you keep coming back here? I heard you two broke up already."

"..."

He didn't wait for a response. He stuck the needle in.

"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

"What do you mean, Sasuke?"

"Why are you dying?"

She smiled, "I love you. You know that, right?"

The initial pain was over. She was seated slumped on the chair, willing her strength to come back to her.

"Why?"

"So he can keep living his life."

"Without you? Didn't you want to have your happy ever after with him?"

"No, I wanted him to have his happily ever after-with or without me. My body can only fight back for so long before something gives out. With this body, a happy life with me is impossible." She had a sad smile on her face.

"You are a fool."

"I am a fool in love."

He was still there. He didn't understand her anymore. She loves him but left him?

"Who told you?" She broke the silence between them. "Ino or Tsunade?"

"It doesn't mat-"

"Tell Ino to never come back here."

"Saku-"

"Walk away, Sasuke. If you care even the tiniest bit about me, please, just this once, walk away." She turnedher head away, not wanting to see his face or the expression on it.

"I''m so-"

"Leave. Now."

"I'm so-"

"Shut up!"

"He needed to know!"

"I trusted you! He never needed to know about this!"

"He loves-"

"Stop it, Ino. You may have been fooled by him but I won't. He doesn't love me."

"..."

"Please get out."

Ino got out of the room and left the premises of the hospital.

"..."

"I don't need a lifeless doll."

"..."

"Don't bother coming back. I won't go after and kill him. I can sense that you'll be doing that all on your own." With that Itachi left her to find her own way out.

"..."

"Tsunade-sama?" The girl on the bed called out to here.

"Yes." This was by far the most emotional case she ever handled. Her patient didn't need to wait for a miracle cure-she had it in her pocket. Her patient needed the will to live.

"Why didn't you try to stop me once in the last six years?"

"Would yo have stopped if I asked, no, ordered you to?"

"..."

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama."

"Nee, Sasuke-kun?" She called him as they were seated on their favorite bench in the park.

"Hn."

"Do you want to restore the Uchiha clan in the future?"

"Yes." He didn't need a second to think about. There was no question about it. He would build his clan again.

For a moment, she wished he hesitated...even a little.

"I don't understand."

"From moment he told me that he wanted children, there was no doubt in my mind that I was capable of giving him his happiness."

"I don't understand. You're a perfectly healthy young woman."

"This body can only take so much. The poison took away my chances to even bear a child.

"If you were given a choice to go back in time and stop this from happening-"

"What nonsense are you saying? I wouldn't change anything. I would give it all up again even if if meant losing myself."

She felt drugged, weak, and helpless. She just came back from another meeting with Itachi. She just wanted to lie down on her bed and sleep.

She sat down on her favorite bench and savored the feeling of the breeze.

"Why are you here alone at this hour?" she heard Sasuke say. He just came back from his mission and sustained a few cuts and bruises.

She reached out her hand to his face and focused a bit of her chakra on her beloved's wounds. "Waiting for you, Sasuke-kun." She held him face between her hands and reached up to kiss him.

Nee, Nee, Sasuke-kun! Will you go out with me?

"Hn. Fine. You're so annoying."

She felt bad. She wanted to puke her guts out. Her body felt heavy.

She already took the antidote but the some of the poison was still in her system.

She knew the limits of her body, but she needed to know the limits of her heart.

I have to know...Am I worth it?

"Let's break up."

-*-*- FIN